


Wine Colored Eyes

by blzter14



Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020), Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Romance, friends turned lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:33:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25745926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blzter14/pseuds/blzter14
Summary: No other color would be as captivating nor any alcoholic drink as intoxicating as the color of Tifa Lockhart's eyes
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Comments: 6
Kudos: 45





	Wine Colored Eyes

Cloud Strife looked like a frazzled chocobo that had its treats taken from underneath its beak.

He simply couldn’t understand the level of complexity that bar tending and mixing drinks possessed.

Sure he’d memorized which materia did what and knew just exactly how much force and what angle to hit any monster like the back of his hand but this?

It confounded him to no end.

“I really think you’ll knock it out of the park this time.” Tifa grimaced as his last mix tasted awfully bitter, and not the good kind either.

She dumped the contents of the shot glass in the sink behind her before rinsing it off and placing it on a towel, lining it up with about twenty or so more.

“More like knock someone out at this rate. Why can’t you teach Marlene this instead? Or Denzel?”

“Cloud Strife, are you telling me to teach children how to mix alcoholic beverages in our bar?”

“They’re pretty mature for their age.”

“Absolutely not mister. You promised that you’d try this time.”

He let out a breath and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose before stealing a glance at her as she produced another shot glass and placed the freshly rinsed shaker on the bar top.

The small pout that forms on her lips, tinted and glossed with lip balm matched perfectly well with her frustrated expression. The way her eyebrows curled inwards, causing her forehead to scrunch up made her look cute.

He’d seen this exact look on Marlene before and swears she’s starting to take after Tifa.

Cloud pulls his eyes away from her lip and gives her his proper attention for fear that she might really make do on her threat to smack him upside with one of the coasters.

“Now once more. You take the _1000 needles_ and pour just enough for half a shot glass and mix it in with some tonic. I’m positive you can get the balance of the flavor this time.” she repeated, looking expectantly at him.

He clicks his tongue and glares at the offending things that were making a mockery of him in front of her.

A damn fool as Barret would put it.

“ _1000 Needles_ ,” he mouths to himself as he grabs the bottle and pours an amount he deemed sufficient. “then Tonic.”

He brings up the other bottle and mixes it into the shaker before clasping the metal lid tightly.

He could feel her eyes on him, an intense and scrutinizing gaze. Was it to make sure he was doing the mix properly or was she simply taking this opportunity to get a good look at him?

The shaker flew up with a flair before landing safely in his hands, shaking it back and forth over his shoulder for a few seconds.

Tifa laughs and claps her hands at this display. “You’re learning to show off I see.”

“What use is something flashy if the drink tastes like shit?”

“Bartending is as much a performance art as your bike tune-ups you grease monkey.”

She seemed to take a bit of offense to that but nothing too big as she playfully stuck her tongue out at him. They knew each other’s limits. This was cookie cutter teasing between the two adults.

Or was it flirting? Neither seemed to mind.

In fact, they seemed to relish and enjoy the playful back and forth, straddling the line between lovers and best friends.

He opened the lid and carefully poured the mixture into the shot glass she held out for him.

Cloud watched in awe as she took the small glass up to those glossy lips of hers and watched as her throat moved once she swallowed the burning liquid.

He could almost hear the sound of it going down. Damn his enhanced senses.

She was breathtaking and he just wanted to get lost in her.

Tifa finishes with a small pop from her lips, putting the glass down and humming to herself to gauge whether he had done it right this time.

“Well,” she began while smacking her lips to gauge the flavor and consistency, “it’s much better than earlier. You’re getting there. See? Patience goes a long way.”

She was making him sweat with all of the small things that she’s doing. Did she know and was fully capitalizing on the opportunity to make him fidget in his seat, or was she just blissfully unaware of the effect she had on him?

“One more.”

“Excuse me?”

“One more. I want to get it right this time.”

He held a determined expression, his lips on a thin line but his eyes had a shine to them.

No, not because of the mako swimming in his veins but rather, a glint of wanting to please her tastes.

“Looks like someone’s starting to take a liking. Alright!”

She turns with a sway to her hips, the pants she wore closely hugging her tantalizing curves.

She wasn’t playing fair. He hated that she could be so damn attractive and sexy and yet be so… Tifa.

The same Tifa that played mother for Marlene and Denzel.

The same Tifa that held so much love and care in her heart that it openly radiated from her.

He couldn’t describe it properly but did he really need to? What was most important is that she was who she was and he understood it.

A close friend, a fighter, a mother, a light in the dark.

Cloud couldn’t help but want to add another title or two to the list of things she was to him.

“Here you go.”

She slides another shot glass in front of him along with the shaker, ready to go.

He places his hand on hers and turns it over to marvel at it.

The playful atmosphere had suddenly turned quiet, serious and yet strangely intimate.

He hears her gasp and, with her velvety voice, ask him what he was doing.

They were silky smooth and yet, held lots of small callouses. It was proof that she had been through a lot of hardship, however, it was still so warm and inviting.

These hands were capable of bringing to heel large beasts in succession while at the same time, make a delicious and hearty meal for him and the kids.

They could take down any would-be pervert that tried anything on her in one fell swoop and yet hold his face softly when he returned battered and bruised after an accidental tumble on Fenrir.

It perfectly defined Tifa Lockhart to her core: a strong and unwavering force of nature, equally as caring and nurturing.

She was all of it rolled into one, beautiful, sexy and amazing package.

He rubbed his thumb across her palm, tracing lines all the way up to each of her fingertips, eyeing each digit before closing them into his own hand.

He pulls her knuckles up to his lips and places a kiss on each with such tender softness that Tifa was not expecting at all from him.

His eyes meet hers as he pulls his head up.

The silence is deafening in the bar and yet all Cloud could hear were his thoughts, brimming with admiration for the woman in front of him.

Her eyes, so deep and reflective of her soul, had seen so much hatred and anger yet they were still untainted and glowed with an affectionate warmth.

The carmine tones of her irises were enough to drown him. She was overwhelming to him, holding him in place with just the way she looked at him.

He feels her hand turn over, her fingers weaving through his own: interlinked as their lives were.

His lips turn up slightly into a partial smirk as he continued to get lost and drunk with her, much like drinking fine wine that no other cocktail could ever have an effect on him.

“Maybe….” he trailed off, noticing the flustered cheeks and the way her free hand came up to her chest, as if to steady her heart, “I could learn more about wine afterwards?”

Tifa was smart and sharp and immediately caught on to his veiled words, prompting her to bite her lips in embarrassment but still, she doesn’t look away.

“Yeah, that sounds good. Great even.” she acquiesced, giving him a smile of her own: a dazzling and entrancing curl of her lips before she leans forward and captured his.

**Author's Note:**

> Tried to make something playful, light yet still romantic. I hope you liked the read!
> 
> Note: 1000 Needles is a brand of alcoholic drink present in the FFVII universe


End file.
